Employment Law News

Updates from the Employment Tribunal – awards and statistics

As of 6 April 2016, Employment Tribunal awards will increase. The maximum compensatory award will be the lower of a year’s pay and £78,962 (increasing from £78,335). The upper limit on a week’s pay, which is relevant to various calculations including statutory redundancy payments and basic awards for unfair dismissal, rises to £479 from £475.

The Ministry of Justice also recently reported the quarterly Tribunal statistics for the period October to December 2015. During that period, the number of single claims received by Employment Tribunals was 4,338. This figure is around the same as the number received in the same period last year, but 71% fewer than before fees were introduced in 2012. These figures support the impression that the Employment Tribunal fees regime is discouraging potential claimants from bringing claims.